One Magic Night
by Moonbean Soup
Summary: Tonight is the Annual Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt, led by who else but the mishchief-making Marauders. Good-girl, Emily gets swept into the competition against her will but finds that exploring about the castle with a certain Gryffindor boy might not be so bad. Adventure and romance ensue!
1. The Great Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

I followed Alice and Naomi down the crowded corridor. Dinner had just ended so the entirety of the Hogwarts population was mulling around the castle. It had been a long day and my back was aching, however they wouldn't let me go to bed. Alice said that we had "important business" to take care of tonight. I tried to fight her but it was useless because she grabbed me by the arm and forced me to follow.

"Where are we going?" I whined.

"I told you tonight is the night, Emily. We can't afford to waste time. Pick up your feet!" Naomi smiled and forged ahead. She nearly mowed over a tiny first year.

"Watch out," I said to her but she didn't listen.

"You've got to promise not to tell anyone about this, you hear?" Alice replied.

"That won't be a problem. I don't know what 'this' is! You guys are being mean and refusing to tell me anythi-"

Naomi suddenly dissapeared around a corner and I was jerked around that same corner into an empty hallway. Alice slapped her hands over my face and Naomi signaled me to shut up. I didn't know what was going on except that Alice's hands were sweaty, it was dark and I was scared. I tried to verbalize these thoughts but Alice just pushed her sweaty palms further into my flesh.

Naomi started down the desolate corridor as Alice began to inch backwards, forcing me along with her. About halfway down the hall shifted from dark to pitch black and I figured that it was safe to assume that they were going to murder me. I whispered through her hands, "Are you guys going to kill me-"

"Shhh!" they hissed and flung their bodies against the wall thus carrying mine with them. Alice removed one hand from my face and reached into her robes for her wand. I heard voices coming from the other side of the hall. They must have realized we were there because after a moment they fell silent as well.

And we were both silent for a good thirty seconds. I was wondering who would speak first until Naomi answer my question.

"Neptune, Teacup and Mistletoe! Reveal yourselves!" she whispered loud enough for them to hear.

"Boomslang, Oxford, King Arthur and Walnut!" came a voice from the end of the hall.

"I said my name was Dragonheart!" came another voice.

"What's going on? What's Mistletoe? And where are we going?!"

"Shut up, Walnut," the first voice said. "Ladies, please proceed down the corridor." Alice and Naomi each grabbed one of my arms and dragged me down the pitch black hall towards.

"I don't want to go guys! They're gonna kill me! You're trying to kill me-"

"Don's worry Emily, it's just us," said a new voice that I could now identify as Remus Lupin.

"Lumos," the other, unknown voice whispered, now standing right in front of me. Light poured out of the stranger's wand so that I could now identify the stranger as none other than Sirius Black and beside him stood the rest of the Marauders; James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

"You've got to be kidding me! Sirius, what are you doing-"

"Hush, dearest Emily. All will be explained soon, I promise." A mischievous smile danced on his lips. "Tonight my name is King Arthur and yours is Mistletoe. It is important that you use the proper code names tonight. Our mission is top secret. Do you understand? Good. We've got Alice as Neptune and Naomi as Teacup, respectively. Peter is Boomslang, Remus is Oxford and James is Walnut."

"Dragonheart!" James demanded.

"Call yourself whatever you like, Walnut," Sirius said. He turned back to me, "Sorry to scare you before but your friends were afraid if we told you that you wouldn't come. And what a shame that would be, love." He winked at me. I felt my cheeks turn red. "But now you're here and I can promise that if you are murdered tonight it will not be by me."

"What are you talking about?" I cried.

"He's just being an idiot Emily, don't listen to him." Remus Lupin gave me a comforting smile.

"Hurtful, Remus. Hurtful." Sirius shook his head.

"Its almost time, Sirius." Naomi demanded.

"Time for what!?" I demanded. No one answered.

"Alright, let us forge ahead my dear friends." Sirius turned right and we all followed him down another dark corridor. By now my eyes had adjusted enough to somewhat see where we were headed. As we crept deeper into the castle the walls were looking less and less familiar. I find it strange that after seven years in this castle there are still corners of it I have never seen. However, I had a feeling that would change tonight.

The seven of us arrived in an empty classroom I had never seen before about ten minutes later. In the room were a bunch of other familiar-looking seven years. My friend Elisa from Hufflepuff was sitting in the corner with a very pretty blonde girl I didn't know. A girl who was sometimes my lab partner was chatting excitedly with a few Ravenclaw boys. And among them was John Wiley. My heart fluttered a little.

"Did you know he would be here?" I asked Alice quietly while nodding to John. Alice and Naomi were the only two people in Hogwarts who knew of my crush.

"No I did not," Alice said with a smile. I bit my tongue to keep from smiling.

"Um, once again...WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE!?" I yelled and everyone's heads turned towards me.

"Ah yes, excellent question Emily or should I say Mistletoe!" Sirius was standing on a chair in the center of the room. Everyone's attention shifted from me to him. "Friends, familiar faces, fine ladies, please lend me your ears-"

"Filch!" James whisper-shouted from the door. He had a pair of Transparascopes that allowed him to see through the wooden door without opening it.

"No one move!" Remus replied as he quickly shut off the lights. Everyone stayed perfectly still and silent until James gave the all-clear. Sirius resumed his position atop the chair.

"We have gathered here tonight to take part in a secret Hogwarts tradition as old as the castle itself." Remus snorted. I thought it was funny too. That is, we both knew the school had been built over two thousand years ago. It says so in _Hogwarts, A History_. "Don't be a smart-ass Remus. I mean...Oxford. As I was saying, I was appointed to choose the finest seventh year students this school knows. And looking at all you mischievous little monsters I do not think I could have done a better job." I followed his eyes to the very pretty blonde girl Elisa had been talking to before.

"Can you just get on with it, Black!" Naomi shouted angrily.

"Right! My friends tonight is the infamous secret Hogwarts scavenger hunt!" He cried. And at this point I was still very confused. All of that abuse from my friends before had been about some silly game? "Now the tradition goes that one student is chosen from the prior year of students to assemble a group of worthy scavengers. That part has been taken care of already," I looked around the room again, this time noticing that there were no representatives from Slytherin. "And from there we are to split into teams of two."

"Sirius-"

"King Arthur."

"This doesn't sound like a good idea. We're going to get caught," I said. Filch almost caught us about five minutes ago! What is he thinking?

"Emily, have no fear. This game has been happening for years and have you ever heard a word about it?" Sirius raised his dark eyebrows at me.

"Well, no...but all the more reason to-"

"Exactly. Now Boomslang, do you have the names?" he motioned to Peter Pettigrew who had been setting awkwardly in the corner.

"Everyone pick one and find you're partner," he said quickly as he pulled a bag from his pocket. I know its rude to say, but Peter was strange. And even though I still wasn't sold sold on the idea of the scavenger hunt I really hoped he wouldn't be on my team. I walked forward and waited beside Alice and Naomi.

"Excited, Emily?" Naomi was clearly excited. She was almost bouncing on her toes.

"How long did you know about this? Why didn't you guys tell me?" I demanded.

"Sirius told us last week," Naomi answered.

"And we didn't think you'd come if we told you about it," Alice gave a small smile.

"You're right," I said, somewhat annoyed. I'm not a fan of getting in trouble. Had I known that I was being dragged to what is apparently 'the biggest mess of trouble of the year', I wouldn't have allowed it.

"Well, now you're here and we're gonna have fun! You'll see," Alice squealed. "And besides, Sirius really wanted you to come," she added.

"Why?"

"He didn't say," she replied.

"He probably thinks you're hot," Naomi smiled.

"Ew, that's ridiculous." The thought of being with Sirius Black was enough to make one sick. Sure, he was attractive and athletic and bright and all, but he was the biggest player I had ever known. He'd flirt with any girl who had a beating heart.

"What would she care anyways?" Alice teased, "She's only got eyes for-"

"John!" came a loud squawk. "You're my partner!" My head whipped around in horror. Olivia Dashling was skipping over to John Wiley and my heart sunk.

Olivia Dashling was my 'worst enemy' I suppose. She was a fellow Ravenclaw and we had been competing ever since our first day in Hogwarts. Competing with everything that is; grades, quidditch, who could hang off a tree branch longer (that did happen, actually. I won.) But lately our feud had turned to boys. And one boy in particular; John Wiley.

I had liked John ever since I made it on to the quidditch team last year. He had been the Ravenclaw Keeper since fourth year and I was a Chaser (the only female on the team, I might mention, until stupid Olivia Dashling made this year...). We became friends and started studying together and he'd even eat with my friends and I at lunch sometimes. He was perfect; smart, cute, talented, charming and more. Then, he was appointed the Ravenclaw prefect and much to my anger Olivia beat me for the girl position. And then they started hanging out too, and she'd rub it in my face whenever she got the chance and uggghhh!

"Emily, your turn," Peter refused to make eye contact. I reached my hand into the bag. I was sad because now John couldn't be my partner. But at least I wouldn't have to deal with Olivia. I hoped I wouldn't be with Peter, or Sirius. Oh, this is just going to be horrible! I know it! I picked out a piece of paper and read the name.

"Oxford?" I said. "Who's that again?"

"Emily," I turned to see Remus Lupin smiling next to me.

"Oh, right!" I said, slightly comforted. Remus was smart, and not as much of a jerk as Sirius or James. If I had to be paired with any of the Marauders, I'm glad it was him.

"Great! All the pairs have been made!" Sirius cried. I looked around the room to see the other pairs. Sirius was standing next to the pretty, blonde girl. Quite a coincidence I suppose. Naomi was paired with James Potter, while Alice stood next to some Hufflepuff whose name I didn't know. My friend, Elisa was paired with Peter Pettigrew. My heart fell once again when I was Olivia standing much to close to John on the other side of the room. And other than that there were about four other pairs of familiar faces. I began to wonder if this was a contest.


	2. A Ghostly Gathering

Remus and I stood in a different empty classroom, pouring over the list Sirius had handed us. According to the directions every item on the list would be mixed into a potion and the potion was the grand prize. There were seven items in total. Seven ridiculous items.

Remus rattled the list of to me: "Five sunflower petals, tears of a ghost, mistletoe berries, leaf of the Whomping Willow, snot of a Slytherin, a shot of Slughorn's favorite firewhiskey and a plush purple snake...they've got to be kidding."

"Where are we going to find a plush purple snake?" my heart sank.

"I think that's the least of our worries," he said, reexamining the list. Snot of a Slytherin? Tears of a ghost? What is this madness and why did I allow myself to get wrapped up in it!?

"Well, you're friends with Sirius. You must have some idea how we find all this?" I asked Remus.

"I'm sorry but I know nothing, Emily." He placed the list down on a table. "And I'm pretty sure Sirius doesn't either. The instructions were mailed to us by an anonymous alumni. And a smart one at that. They charmed the list so it couldn't be looked at until all of the teams began."

"Wow, I suppose this is a big deal to some people," I laughed.

"It's a big deal to Sirius, for sure. He's been coming up with ways to sabotage all week. I think he's hoping for a silent war," Remus smiled.

We both looked down at the table and stared at the first item on the list,"Sunflower petals can't be too hard to find. Want to start with that?" Remus asked.

"What I want is to go to sleep!" I rubbed my eyes. I looked over at a clock which read ten thirty-one. I only just realized how tired I was.

Remus chuckled at me,"Well, Mistletoe, I hate to say this but it looks like you've got a long night ahead of you." He shuffled around the room for a minute, thinking. He stopped just short of the open door.

"Fine, lets just get this over with," I said. "Where do you want to start-"

"Shhhhh!" He jumped away from door and slammed his body against the wall. He motioned for me to get down, so I sunk to my knees and hid under the desk. In the silence I heard voices coming from outside:

"She told me that he refused to come tonight! Because of the whole staircase incident, remember Nick? Can you believe it! One tiny breech of etiquette and now he's going to miss the party of the year!" It was a very familiar voice, high and shrill. I knew I had heard it once before but I couldn't recall where.

"Well Madame, that is no problem of mine. If he's going to act so immature then all I can say is that I will not be missing his presence today. No sir! Especially not after the things he said to Monsieur Gillygugg..."

The two voices trailed off in the other direction. The must have walked right past the classroom Remus and I were in. Though, even if they did catch us it didn't sound as if they cared. But who would be out at this time of night? And going to a party no less?

"That was Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor House Ghost. I'm not sure who the other lady was though. But it sounded like they were going to a ghost party," Remus said. A sleepy grin spread over his face, "I suppose we'll start there."

It wasn't too hard to find the ghost party. Remus and I just hopped from one dark corridor to another dark corridor while following the sound of Nearly Headless Nick's voice. Luckily, we didn't run into anyone while creeping around the castle.

After about ten minutes, Nick and his female ghost companion pass through a small, unassuming door. Remus and I walked up to the door.

"You ever been to ghost party?" Remus asked.

"No...have you?" I responded, nervously. Most of the Hogwarts ghosts were fairly nice, but I wasn't really sure what to expect.

"No," he sighed. I could tell he found the idea of being the only living guests at a party unsettling as well. He opened the door slowly, "Normally I'd say ladies first, but these are some interesting circumstances so-"

"Oh please!" I smirked at him and stepped through the door only to enter a celebration like none I had ever seen before.

For a party of the dead, it was surprisingly lively. There must have been over a hundred spirits swirling around in a ballroom I had never seen before. The room was lit by floating candles, yet it was still dark and gloomy. In the corner ghostly band croaked out an eerie jazz tune, as couples swayed on the dance floor. Sounds of cackling laughter and miserable wails filled the empty spaces in the song.

"Um...what's the plan?" I turned to Remus as he closed the door behind us.

"Plan? Well, that would have been a good thing to come up with before we got here..." he looked around the room sheepishly. I was about to respond, when a phantom lady appeared beside me.

"Young lady, what in the world do you think you are doing here?" she whined at me. I could tell from her voice that she was the same ghost who had passed us in the hallway. Only now she sounded angry.

"Oh, uh, we were just...just...uhhh-"

"We've come to meet someone. It's very urgent actually," Remus answered.

"Urgent? Really?" her squinted her sour eyes, "And who would that someone be?"

"See that's our only problem," Remus stuttered. How he was keeping his cool, I'll never know. "We were sent by...Professor Peter James to talk to the saddest ghost at the party. Apparently he needs some cheering up. And we're supposed to, uh, do that. But we don't know who that would be. Could you help us, maybe?" I wanted to hug Remus for being so clever. But I didn't because that would be a bit strange and he'd think I was nuts.

"Professor Peter James...I see," the ghost lady seemed to buy it. "Well everyone whose anyone knows that the most miserable ghost in all of England is Sir Mellan McColly. He's sitting there, by the band." She pointed towards a ghost sitting alone a table, rocking back and forth as he sobbed incessantly.

"Thank you very much," Remus said as she glided away. He looked over at me and smiled.

"That was brilliant!" I cried. "How did you do that?"

"Hanging around Sirius and James has made me a pretty quick thinker," he chuckled. "Now, if you distract Sir Mellan McColly I can probably find a way to get the tears."

As ghost waiter happened to be walking by with a large tray of drinks. I plucked a bottle off it placed my wand at the tip. "Impervius," I said and the contents of the bottle came spilling out and onto the floor. I handed the empty bottle to Remus and said, "Consider it done."

We walked over to Sir Mellan McColly. I pulled up a seat next to him but the ghost didn't even seem to notice, his face now buried in his palms.

"I love this song, don't you?" I motioned towards ghost saxophone player who was wailing away wretchedly. The ghost looked long enough to blink confusedly at me, and then resumed bawling into his hands. Remus positioned himself just close enough to him so that he could catch one of his tears. If only he would take his face out of his hands for long enough.

"Uh...well this is quite a party," I tried again. I glanced at Remus anxiously. "One of the best I've been to. How about you?"

"Lillian used to love parties," the ghost moaned through his hands. "We would go to one every week and we would dance all through the night. But that was long ago. Back when she loved me!"

"Oh, um, what happened to Lillian?" I asked, now genuinely concerned. This guy was breaking my heart.

"She left me for another ghost. A spookier, paler ghost. He was better at haunting people than me, and he cackled louder than I did and...and...I'm nothing without her!" He threw his head back and weeped, hands still covering his face.

"Oh, I see," I told him. I had to get him to look at me. But he was so miserable, I also just kind of wanted to help him. "Well, it sounds like this Lillian wasn't the ghost for you."

"What do you mean? She was everything to me. She was my soulmate!" he whimpered.

"You don't know that. She ignored you and treated you terribly and you deserve more than that," I said.

"I do?" he said quietly.

"Of course you do. You're a wonderful guy, very spooky and...pale, I suppose. Uh, you're a real catch! Lillian just didn't know what she was missing." I said.

"You think so?" he said, finally lifting his tear-soaked face from his hands.

"Oh dear Lord, excuse me..." Remus stumbled over to us, as if he had tripped over something. He leaned on the table and stuck the top of bottle directly under Sir Mellan McColly's long, spindly nose. Within 5 seconds three large smokey tears rolled off the bridge of his nose and dripped into it. Ghost tears were curious. It was hard to tell if they were gas or liquid. Remus twisted the cap back on and motioned for me to get out. "Sorry about that," he said while moving towards the door. I stood up and looked back down at Sir Mellan McColly, who was still on the verge of more tears. Well...I couldn't just leave him there.

"Hey, that ghost over there has been looking at you all night. I bet she thinks you're cute. Maybe you should ask her to dance." I pointed towards the female ghost who had stopped Remus and I at the door. She actually had been watching the whole situation but only because she wanted to see what Remus and I were up to. But it wasn't a complete lie.

"Hmmm..." Sir Mellan McColly smirked and within seconds he had forgotten about me and glided over to the lady.

"Wow, ghosts are flighty aren't they?" Remus joked, as we watched Sir Mellan initiate a hovering waltz with the flattered ghost lady. The gloomy, romantic music swelled and we both laughed. Remus looked over at me, "That was very nice of you by the way."

"What was?" I said.

"The way you handled Sir Mellan," he said. "You managed to lift the spirits the most miserable spirit in England in just one conversation. That's something to be proud of, Mistletoe."

"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you, Oxford," I grinned at him. And though it was hard to see through the dark shadows of the ballroom, I thought I saw a bit of a red tinge appear on his face when he smiled.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Remus said. We've still got a lot to do."


	3. The Whomping Willow

"Lumos," Remus whispered as we crept out away from the ghostly gathering. He led me down a dark corridor, now illuminated by the tip of his wand, until we finally stopped at a tall window. We both sat on its ledge and I pulled out the list once again.

"Tears of a ghost...check," I said, using my wand to cross out the item. "What do you think we should go for next, I think maybe-Ah!" I yelled.

I had leaned back against the window pane only to have it fall out from behind me. Luckily, I hadn't been completely resting on it otherwise I would have tumbled right out.

"Oh my goodness Remus! I almost died!" I whispered, now in the midst of a small panic attack. However, Remus seemed to find it amusing.

"No, you didn't. We're only about a meter above the ground, Emily" he laughed while looking out the now empty spot in the window. "We must be on the first floor."

"Oh..." I said, now embarrassed. From the way I was acting so far this night he must have thought I was a complete moron. I'm usually fairly level-headed and clever, especially when in the midst of competition. But for some reason I just couldn't keep my cool tonight.

"The Whomping Willow is right over there," he pointed through the glass. "Don't we need a branch from it or something?"

"A leaf. But that's going to be nearly impossible. That thing is crazy," I said, dejectedly.

"Not if you know the secret to calming it down," Remus smirked at me. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion and began to ask, only to be stopped by him. "Let's just say there are some perks to hanging around with people who know all the tricks this castle has to offer. Very few, but some."

I smiled. I kind of wish I had gotten to know Remus more throughout the past few years. He was a pretty smart guy, and much more down to earth than his other Marauder mates. "Well, then please lead the way Oxford!"

The opening in the window was just large enough for us to climb through. Remus jumped out first, and then helped me down. From there, the Whomping Willow was only a little ways away. The grounds were completely silent at that time of time. All I heard was wind rustling through the branches and birds calling from the Forbidden Forest. I wouldn't want to find myself alone out here at this time. It was actually kind of frightening.

"It's actually pretty simple. We just need a really long branch or something..." said Remus, interrupting my thoughts. I looked around the grass as we approached the tree and spotted a twig. I grabbed it and Remus chuckled, "Um, maybe a little bit bigger than that."

"Engorgio," I said, pointing my wand at the twig and raising my eyebrows smugly at him. The twig elongated rapidly in my hand until it was almost four times my height. I smirked, "How's that?"

"Not bad, Mistletoe," he said taking the long branch from my hand. "I'll have to get close to the tree so I might get whacked a bit, but it shouldn't be too bad. Once it calms down just grab the leaf and tell me to let go. Okay?"

"You've got it Oxford," I replied.

He moved closer to the tree which seemed to be resting at the moment. Once he began to move under its branches it swayed a bit, as if it knew something was approaching but it wasn't sure if it was threatening or not. He was doing really well until he stepped on a branch with a loud _Snap!_ The tree suddenly came alive at the sound and out of nowhere a huge branch came sailing down just inches above Remus's messy brown hair.

"Behind you Remus!" I screamed as I watched another limb swoop over him. Luckily dodged the large one but I heard him yelp as another smaller branch smacked him upside the head. The Willow was in full swing by this point. I started towards the tree in hopes of helping him, "Wait, I'm-!"

"No, I'm almost there!" he yelled while jumping over a vine that was trying to trip him.

And then all of a sudden the Whomping Willow froze. All of the swinging branches simply stopped. It was absolutely incredible. I glanced over at Remus who was calmly touching the trunk of the tree with the stick, smiling as though nothing had happened. A true Marauder, that boy was.

So keeping up with my end of the plan I walked to the nearest limb and plucked the single leaf it held off the Willow. Only then did I realize how few leaves the tree held. Most of it was vines and branches. Curious. Then within seconds the leaf was snatched out of my hand from behind.

"Hey! Who-" I spun around rapidly and stuck out my wand only to see Olivia Dashling backing away from me with my Whomping Willow leaf in her hand and a nasty grin on her face. "Where the hell did you come from!" I yelled.

"Maybe you should scream a little louder while you klutz around the castle, dear. Let's go John," she giggled maliciously. John Wiley appeared from behind a bush wearing an apologetic smile.

"Uh, it is a competition. You understand, right Emily?" he asked, his big blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight. All my angry words got caught in my throat as I watched the wind tousle his wavy black hair. He was so...pretty. I felt my cheeks heat up and I couldn't tell if it was rage or the desire to slam my lips onto his.

"What's the matter twinkle toes? Cat got your tongue?" Olivia squawked, and I looked back to her. My heart was pounding. Now it was just pure rage.

"That's mine, Dashling!" I yelled and I tackled her. We wrestled on the grass, slapping hands, pulling hair and all that cliche girl-fight stuff. I think she even tried to poke me in eye. "LET GO!" I screamed, while dodging a punch to the nose. It took a bit more grappling but I eventually liberated the Whomping Willow leaf from her stupid, boney fingers. I rolled off her and smiled for a moment in self-pride. However, that moment was cut very short when I was trucked over by a swinging branch. From my new spot on the ground I saw Remus running wildly towards me.

"I thought you said to let go!" he yelled, narrowly dodging a whip-like vine. From behind me Olivia and John were cackling as they escaped from the Willow's domain, leaving me alone on the ground.

"Good luck losers!" Olivia screeched, while waving another leaf over her head. Dammit! She must have grabbed another one of the moving tree because the original was still in my hand.

I staggered to my feet and looked up to see a giant limb plummeting down right towards me. If I didn't move within two seconds it-

Remus knocked me back down to the ground and we rolled out of it's way. "Why don't you stare at that branch a little longer!" he cried.

"I'm sorry!" I screamed back. A few more branches tried to strike us as we scrambled away, until finally we were safe from the Willow's clutches. I collapsed onto the cold grass, breathing heavily. Remus was lying next to me. There were a few cuts on his arms and a tear on the sleeve of his t-shirt, but luckily nothing serious. Breathless, I sighed, "At least I got the leaf."

"Yeah...what happened? Why did you tell me to let go?" He must not have seen the whole debacle.

"Um, Olivia Dashling happened," I said while twisting the leaf between my fingers. "She tried to steal my leaf..."

"She's the Ravenclaw prefect, right? Blonde...kind of a bitch?" he asked, still a little out of breath. I smiled. Why wasn't I better friends with Remus?

"Yeah, I kind of despise her," I said. Then I remembered who she was with. "And John Wiley..." I mumbled.

"Really? He let her do that?" Remus stared up at the dark sky and shook his head angrily. "What an asshat."

"He's not an asshat..." I muttered in defense. Okay, so maybe he did kind of act like an asshat in that one moment. But that didn't mean he was an asshat in general. "I mean, it is a competition."

Remus sat up and stared at me incredulously. "Oh Lord, please tell me your not defending that asshat. Is it because he has _pretty eyes?_" he scoffed, rolling his own eyes.

"No, just...just shut up," I demanded angrily. The thing that annoyed me the most was that he was right. We both could have been seriously hurt because of them. "I'm sorry okay? You don't have to talk to me like I'm an idiot."

He turned at me his eyes still angry, but now a bit more apologetic. From the mixture of moonlight and dim light from the castle, I noticed that Remus also had nice eyes. They were very dark green. Not necessarily pretty like John Wiley's eyes, but still nice. "Okay," he mumbled.

"Fine," I replied. I bit my lip and stared at the grass. What a curious exchange. The awkwardness was thick in the hot spring air.

"Um, we should get back to the scavenger hunt now," he said trying to recover from the uneasy conversation. All his anger seemed to melt away as we both stood up. I looked at his dark green eyes and smiled. This night would be a lot more fun if we didn't argue.

"Two items down. Five more to go," I chirped. And we made our way back to the castle window I broke.


End file.
